Things that can be carried on a bike (#682), a rare selfie, and a few snowy thoughts.

Okay. First things first. I know you can’t stop looking at that painful image of me just below so lets discuss it. That’s a selfie I took upon arriving home yesterday from my second job. I had about a two-mile commute, and of course it was into the wind. It was also snowing…hard. Something like 3-inches an hour. And yes, that is an icicle on my eyebrow. I used to have ski-goggles, but my dogs chewed them (I really need to get another pair). Anyhow, you may look at that image and think I’m a bit nuts (which I am) or worse, you may feel sorry for me. Don’t. I ride a bike year-round by choice. As with many year-round cyclists, this to me, can be fun, and it was. Would I want to ride in those conditions all the time? No of course not. Once in a while is fine. The other images are evidence of non-harsh winter riding. The one directly below my selfie was taken the day before yesterday as I left for work at 6:25am…a beautiful pre-dawn winter’s ride to work. The only sound was that of my studded snow tires as they gripped the snow and ice. And yes steel-studded tires for bikes are readily available (closeup shot below), and I couldn’t ride year-round without them. Thus said, this past week is also the first I’ve ridden this particular bike in the snow (the Yuba Boda Boda) and I couldn’t be happier. With the bike’s size and weight, and with the snow tires, I feel like I’m riding an SUV (or more appropriately, SUB…sport utility bicycle). And lastly…things that can be carried on a bike (above)…a yoga mat. I started taking/practicing yoga for the first time in about 5 years. When I came out of class tonight everyone was walking to their cars while I went for my bike. It was/is such a lovely night. Just past dusk, not much wind, and not too cold. And as I bent to unlock my bike I saw rabbit prints in the snow around and under my bike. A rabbit was checking out my bike while I was inside twisting myself. This made me smile. It also made me remember how much I enjoyed using a bike as transportation. On the way home the cold air felt good on my face. And as I huffed and puffed up a slight incline (the studded tires offer much resistance, i.e. they make the bike much more difficult to pedal) I was conscious of my breath (a carryover from the yoga class). And as I coasted down the other side of the incline the sound of the tires whirled against the pavement. Not only did I stretch my muscles in class, but I also used them on the way home. And this is what I thought about as I pedaled and coasted home on a particularly pleasant winter’s eve.